6 September 2025

When the ten lepers were healed by Jesus only one returned to express his gratitude. Jesus was surprised. ‘Were not ten made clean?’ He asked. ‘But the other nine, where are they?’

One in ten? Ten percent! Is that about right? Clearly the spirit of gratitude does not fill every human heart. If people aren’t ungrateful for what others do for them, they don’t always show it.

Perhaps that’s why it’s more surprising when people do. It was certainly the case with Jesus. There were more surprises to come. The first was the identity of the thankful leper.

He was a Samaritan and, of course, Samaritans had no dealings with Jews. They were enemies. They had nothing to do with each other. But, although he was a Samaritan, he had a grateful heart!

The second was the unity which had been created between Samaritans and Jews. Whilst they didn’t have religion in common, they did have their leprosy.

It broke down the religious barriers which divided them and united them not as Jews and Samaritans but as wounded and rejected human beings.